LOGIN“I don’t want to do this out here,” I say quietly.Jake’s fingers tighten around mine for half a second before he forces himself to loosen them. Leo’s eyes widen a fraction.“Inside?” he asks, his voice lower now, rougher.I nod.It’s not because I’m ashamed, because I’m not. I just don’t want any o
** Poppy’s POV **I can feel them on either side of me. Jake’s hand in mine, warm, steady, and ever so careful. Leo’s palm at my waist, restrained, barely there, as if he’s afraid that even that is too much, and my heart is beating like it’s trying to escape my chest.This is what I wanted, what I n
Leo takes one step forward, just enough to stand on her other side. Poppy’s breath catches, but he doesn’t reach for her. He doesn’t look at me; his focus is entirely on her.“Is this okay?” he asks.The question hangs between us, weighted with everything it doesn’t say… Is this okay?… Are we okay?…
Leo finally speaks again. “Fate might have matched us together, but that doesn’t mean you’re an obligation,” he says. “And you’re not a prize. You’re a choice.”Her eyes flick to his, and I see the exact second his words sink in. Something inside her settles, not completely, but enough.I want this
** Jake’s POV **She’s close enough now that I can feel the heat coming off her skin, and I still haven’t touched her.Every instinct I have is screaming at me to close the distance. To pull her in. To make sure she’s real and solid and not just something my bond-starved mind conjured up to survive
“I didn’t know if I should come tonight,” I admit. “I thought maybe… tomorrow.” My voice sounds smaller than I intended.Leo shifts slightly, not stepping forward, just redistributing his weight. The sound of his boot against the wood makes my stomach flip.“You don’t have to be here if it’s not wha







